Chelsea pose big threat to Liverpool having joined race for £100m talent | OneFootball

Last summer, Chelsea beat Liverpool to the signing of Moises Caicedo and history may repeat itself in 2025 as both Premier League giants have shown interest in another Brighton talent.

The Reds agreed a £111m deal with Brighton to sign the midfielder during the summer of 2023, but having given priority to the London club, the Ecuador international would choose to move to Stamford Bridge as part of a British-record £115m deal.

Both Premier League clubs have now become interested in the Seagull’s Joao Pedro and it would take a fee of around £100m to sign the striker in 2025 as Brighton have no plans to part ways with the 23-year-old at present, reports TBR Football.

The report states that Liverpool have watched the Brazilian star closely, who is held in high regard by the Reds’ sporting director Richard Hughes.

The Merseyside club are set to be challenged for Pedro by Chelsea as Enzo Maresca would like to add another striker to his squad ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

It is uncertain whether the two English giants would be willing to pay £100m for the Brighton talent, which could leave a path open for Arsenal as the Gunners are believed to have been tipped as a possible destination for Pedro this week.

Liverpool leading the race for Joao Pedro

Liverpool and Chelsea are interested in Brighton star Joao Pedro. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

According to UOL, Liverpool will prioritise the signing of Pedro next summer from Brighton and could even start negotiations with the Seagulls as early as January as they look to get the jump on the competition.

The 23-year-old has been at the AMEX Stadium since last summer after completing a £30m move from Watford. The Brazilian has been a key player for Brighton since having featured in 49 matches for the Premier League outfit, scoring 26 goals and assisting a further six.

Right now, it is hard to see where Pedro would fit in at Anfield as Arne Slot’s forward line is stacked with talent and is one of the strongest in the English top flight and maybe Europe.

The future of Mohamed Salah remains uncertain at the Merseyside club and the Egyptian’s departure may be the only way the Brazilian talent is brought to Anfield, which is good news for Chelsea.